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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27725828">The School Carnival</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lallyloo/pseuds/lallyloo'>lallyloo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rhett &amp; Link</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Never Met, Awkward Flirting, Flirting, Kissing, Licking, M/M, Teasing, Teenagers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:27:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,965</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27725828</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lallyloo/pseuds/lallyloo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhett is an awkward new student who is working the ball pit at the school carnival. Link is a popular student who should be working the cotton candy booth but he's decided to spend his time pestering Rhett instead.</p><p>Originally posted on Tumblr.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Ball Pit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The ball pit was fanbabble's idea. I just took the idea and ran with it.</p><p>Inspired by GMMore #1860 (Can You Guess How Old These Fries Are?) when Link was tossing balls at Rhett.</p><p>This was originally posted in two parts on Tumblr.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When his third period teacher mentioned the school carnival and said shifts were mandatory, Rhett was quick to sign up for the ball pit.</p><p>He was still the new kid at school, and while he was on the basketball team he wasn’t friends with the other guys. He was too tall, even for basketball, and gangly and awkward. He made the team because he was good at 3-pointers and his teammates made him well aware of that fact. He wasn’t one of them. He wasn’t part of the post-game camaraderie. After their games, he usually just stayed in one corner of the locker room turned away from everyone, changed quickly, and escaped.</p><p>Taking part in the school carnival where he’d have to interact with his fellow classmates wasn’t something Rhett was keen to do. The ball pit was for kids under 12, so Rhett figured it would mostly involve interacting with little kids and maybe a few parents, and there would be less of a chance that he’d have to talk to other students.</p><p>He was pleased when he arrived at the makeshift pit on Saturday afternoon and found it tucked away between the haunted house and the raffle table. It suited him just fine to be stuck in the back somewhere, almost forgotten. He had to take tickets and help little kids get in and out of the ball pit. Simple.</p><p>About an hour into his shift, just as he was helping a little girl find her shoe, he heard “McLaughlin!” and a second later a plastic ball pinged off the side of his head. It didn’t hurt exactly, but it immediately set Rhett on edge.</p><p>He was pretty sure he knew the voice and he turned to look. Yep. It was exactly who he expected to see. The guy’s name was Link, and Rhett wasn’t sure if it was a nickname or his actual name, and it might have been cute if Link wasn’t currently pinging plastic balls off Rhett’s forehead.</p><p>*PING*</p><p>Link grinned at him, and Rhett did his best to ignore him.</p><p>Link was popular, and on the school soccer team, but Rhett knew him from the basketball games. He was always showing up with his teammates and cheering on the basketball team while goofing off in the stands. Rhett could appreciate the school spirit, but he wasn’t entirely sure if he appreciated the way they all yelled “McLaughlin!” whenever he scored. It somehow felt more mocking than supportive.</p><p>Link had grabbed several balls from the pit, likely when Rhett was occupied helping the little girl, and Link cradled the balls in his arms as he leaned against the raffle table.</p><p>Link was still grinning. “How you doin’ McLaughlin?”</p><p>“I’m good–”</p><p>*PING*</p><p>Another ball hit Rhett in the forehead as he spoke.</p><p>Rhett sighed and turned his back to Link, focusing on the ball pit.</p><p>*PING*</p><p>A ball hit his back.</p><p>*PING*</p><p>Another bounced off the back of his head.</p><p>Rhett just stood there, silent, and another couple balls flew by him as Link’s aim seemed to falter a bit.</p><p>Then suddenly Link was near him, just off to the right, grabbing a few more balls from the pit.</p><p>Rhett frowned but refused to look over at him as he warned, “You should leave those in there.”</p><p>“There’s lots,” Link replied, tossing one Rhett’s way and dinging it off his elbow. “I just need a couple.”</p><p>“That’s more than a couple.”</p><p>Link disappeared and it was only a second or two before a ball hit Rhett again.</p><p>*PING*</p><p>*PING*</p><p>“Hey McLaughlin, you should turn around.”</p><p>Rhett sighed and turned back around to face him. “My name’s Rhett.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Link grinned, “Rhett McLaughlin, I know.”</p><p>He wound up and dinged a ball right off Rhett’s forehead.</p><p>“Don’t you have somewhere to be?”</p><p>“Yep, the cotton candy booth.”</p><p>*PING*</p><p>“So why aren’t you there?”</p><p>“There’s too much sticky sugar fluff,” Link explained, tossing another ball and missing Rhett completely. “I didn’t wanna get it on me.”</p><p>“They probably need your help.”</p><p>Link retrieved a few more balls from the pit. “I’m helping here.”</p><p>*PING*</p><p>“You’re not helping at all.”</p><p>Link did a spin, looking back over his shoulder and tossing a ball behind him. It hit Rhett directly in the face.</p><p>“Look at that! I should play basketball!”</p><p>Rhett rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the ball bit. He’d signed up to help little kids, not to be bullied by an idiotic pest with a stupid name.</p><p>He managed to ignore Link for a little while. Rhett focused on talking to parents, keeping track of the ball pit times, and helping kids climb in and out. But Link remained on the periphery, always waiting until Rhett was done talking and then dinging him in the head, back, shoulders, chest, wherever he could get a good shot in at the time.</p><p>Rhett could feel his ire rising as Link continued to taunt him, making stupid little comments as if he wanted Rhett to laugh or get mad or SOMETHING. It was like Link was trying to provoke a reaction, and Rhett did his best not to give it to him.</p><p>*PING*</p><p>*PING*</p><p>Rhett had just refereed a fight in the ball pit and was climbing out when another ball dinged him hard on the forehead. He wasn’t sure if Link’s throws were getting more forceful, or if his skin was just growing sensitive after being hit with so many plastic balls. Either way, it hurt.</p><p>“Ow dude!”</p><p>“Oh sorry, did I hurt ya?”</p><p>Link moved quickly, almost bouncing up to Rhett, and he kissed his fingertips and smacked them against Rhett’s forehead as if he was making it better.</p><p>Rhett just stared at him in surprise, but Link was already moving away and he was still grinning that maddening grin.</p><p>“You alright?”</p><p>“I– ”</p><p>*PING*</p><p>Something snapped inside Rhett. He took a quick look around and then grabbed Link by the shoulders and pushed him behind the ball pit, up against the back of the haunted house.</p><p>Link just stared up at Rhett with the strangest little smirk on his mouth, his eyebrows raised as if in surprise.</p><p>Rhett stared him down. “Why are you messing with me?!”</p><p>Instead of replying, Link went up on his tiptoes and kissed him. It was so quick, just a smack on the lips and then Link pulled back to see Rhett’s reaction.</p><p>Rhett looked at him in disbelief for a second and then found himself leaning in and kissing back.</p><p>Link’s lips were soft, and he tasted sweet like he’d been at the funnel cake booth, and he was moving frantically against Rhett’s mouth. He was like a live wire, full of energy, and when Rhett attempted to grab his hips and just hold him still because damn it Rhett needed to kiss him, Link just kept moving, sucking at Rhett’s neck, his breath coming quick and hot against Rhett’s skin.</p><p>He seemed almost wild with excitement so Rhett moved his mouth down and gave Link’s neck a suck, trying to get him to just calm down, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Link stayed in motion, grabbing, running his hands over Rhett’s buzz cut and then pulling Rhett’s face back up to his own and kissing him again, kissing kissing kissing until they were both breathless.</p><p>Finally some sense came over Rhett and he pulled back a bit.</p><p>“Why were you throwin’ balls at me?”</p><p>Link shrugged, still grinning, his hands still on Rhett’s face, “I just wanted your attention.”</p><p>“There are better ways to get my attention.”</p><p>“Well it worked, didn’t it?”</p><p>Rhett was speechless at his brazenness.</p><p>“Didn’t it?” Link repeated.</p><p>“I gotta get back to my shift,” Rhett stammered.</p><p>“Can we do something after?”</p><p>“If you stop throwin’ shit at me.”</p><p>“I’ll stop,” Link grinned, “if you take me for a sno-cone when you’re done.”</p><p>Rhett sighed, but he was smiling. “Fine.”</p><p>“And you come in the haunted house with me.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“Good,” Link said. “Hurry up with your shift. I’ll get us tickets.”</p><p>“I can’t just leave.” Rhett pointed to the back of the ball pit, “I have to be here until six.”</p><p>“Fine,” Link sighed dramatically, and he was already moving away, walking backwards and pointing at Rhett as he went. “Sno-cones at six then, right?”</p><p>“Yes.” Rhett replied, and then Link was off somewhere, out of sight.</p><p>Rhett took a second to straighten his shirt and then he stepped back to the ball pit.</p><p>Okay, so maybe Link wasn’t a stupid name after all. It was actually kind of cute.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Sno-Cone Date</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The crowd at the ball pit started growing around 5pm. The pit was soon filled to capacity, and a line formed which ran past the raffle table and curved out of sight. Rhett became preoccupied with the ball pit schedule and making sure everyone got out when they were supposed to so the next group of kids could get in, and he quickly lost track of time.</p>
<p>He didn’t realise it was almost 6pm until he spotted Link in the crowd. He was looking at Rhett expectantly, eyebrows raised, smile still plastered on his face.</p>
<p>When the clock hit six, Rhett gave instructions to the next person on ball pit duty and then quickly got the hell out of there. He could see Link moving through the vast group of people and they met up at the edge of the crowd.</p>
<p>“You ready for our date?”</p>
<p>Rhett huffed out a laugh. “Is it a date?”</p>
<p>“Well, yeah,” Link grinned, somehow managing to bump against him as they walked. It was like a strange form of flirting – Link’s arm knocking against his, Link’s elbow jabbing him in the side, and Link looking over at him and grinning the whole time. “I already kissed you, now you gotta take me for a sno-cone.”</p>
<p>“I thought the sno-cone was so you’d stop throwing balls at me.”</p>
<p>Link shrugged and jabbed Rhett in the ribs with his elbow, “whatever you wanna tell yourself, McLaughlin.”</p>
<p>Link grabbed him by the wrist and led him to the sno-cone booth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Link looked over the flavors, making disgusted faces at the ones he didn’t like.</p>
<p>“What’re you getting?”</p>
<p>“Lemon lime,” Rhett replied. “You?”</p>
<p>“Grape.”</p>
<p>They ordered, and Rhett paid, and then Link was dragging him to a picnic table to sit down. They were too busy crunching on flavored ice to talk much, but every time Link looked over at him Rhett could see that the grape sno-cone was quickly staining his lips a reddy purple color.</p>
<p>“Your lips are purple.” Rhett pointed, and Link leaned over and pressed his mouth to Rhett’s arm. His lips were sticky and cold, and suddenly Rhett really wanted to kiss him again. When Link pulled away he left a faint purple lip print on Rhett’s skin.</p>
<p>Link grinned at him. “You have fun at the ball pit?”</p>
<p>“I guess,” Rhett shrugged. “It was pretty easy.”</p>
<p>“Well I had fun.”</p>
<p>“At the ball pit?”</p>
<p>Link nodded, taking another bite of his sno-cone. “Throwin’ balls at you.” He grinned at Rhett again, “you were lookin’ pretty mad.”</p>
<p>“I was.”</p>
<p>“You still mad?”</p>
<p>“Not really.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, ‘cause we’re on a sno-cone date.” Link leaned over and put his mouth on Rhett’s arm again, slipping his tongue out to give Rhett a little lick. “Is it cold?”</p>
<p>Rhett shivered. “Yeah.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Link repeated, and he stared up at Rhett, his eyes darting from Rhett’s eyes to his mouth, “your lips look cold too.”</p>
<p>Rhett’s tongue darted out to lick them for a second and Link was grinning again.</p>
<p>“You done?”</p>
<p>Rhett nodded. He still had some ice left but the flavor was mostly gone, and he was suddenly anxious to be somewhere alone with Link.</p>
<p>Link grabbed Rhett’s ice-filled cup and crushed it against his own, and then he ran over to toss the cups in the trashcan.</p>
<p>“C’mon McLaughlin!” he called, motioning for Rhett to follow him.</p>
<p>When they reached the haunted house Link pulled two tickets from his pocket.</p>
<p>Rhett reached in his own pocket for cash, “I can pay you back for that.”</p>
<p>“No way,” Link replied. “You got me a sno-cone, I can get this.”</p>
<p>It was the first seemingly normal thing Link had said, and Rhett just stared at him for a second while Link stared back at him.</p>
<p>“I mean, I gotta pay for something for my boy.”</p>
<p>Rhett nearly choked on air. “I’m your boy now?”</p>
<p>Link grinned. “Aren’t you?”</p>
<p>Rhett just smiled and shook his head, not entirely sure how to reply.</p>
<p>Then the line was moving ahead and it was their turn to enter the haunted house. Link handed over the tickets and he pushed Rhett ahead of him as they stepped into the darkness.</p>
<p>They moved down a narrow walkway and Link was pressed up to Rhett from behind, clinging onto his shirt. Someone jumped out at them from the right side and Rhett let out a nervous laugh while Link yelped behind him.</p>
<p>“Go go go,” Link whispered, pushing Rhett ahead, trying to get them past the jump scare.</p>
<p>They reached a turn and Rhett stopped and peeked around it before continuing on. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness, but it was still difficult to see exactly where to go. Every so often they would hear a scream from up ahead as the people in front of them reached a jump scare scene and Link would jolt a little at the sound.</p>
<p>Someone jumped out from the left side, and Rhett laughed again while Link shrieked and jittered.</p>
<p>As they rounded the next corner someone jumped out from the right, holding a realistic looking severed head, and Rhett reached back as if to protect Link as he trembled up against him. Link grabbed hold of one of Rhett’s hands and kept it back there with him, holding onto it with both of his as they walked, and Rhett could feel Link’s hands shaking around his.</p>
<p>“You okay back there?”</p>
<p>Link laughed against his shirt, “not really.”</p>
<p>Rhett smiled as he lead them through the darkness. “I got ya.”</p>
<p>Link stopped suddenly and pulled Rhett’s hand to make him turn around, and he nearly knocked Rhett over in the small space as he pushed himself against him. Link’s hands were moving, clamoring to find Rhett’s face and pull him in so they could kiss in the darkness.</p>
<p>Link tasted sweet, like artificial grape flavor, and his lips were still cool from the ice. His tongue slipped out and licked at Rhett’s mouth and Rhett grabbed onto his hips, holding Link to him as he tried to get in as many kisses as he could.</p>
<p>After a moment, Rhett pulled away. “We gotta keep moving.”</p>
<p>Link went up on his toes to kiss him one more time. “You taste good.”</p>
<p>“So do you.”</p>
<p>Rhett grabbed Link’s hand and pulled him along the walkway.</p>
<p>The next jump scare left Link trembling against Rhett’s back and Rhett could hear him laughing hysterically, as if he was caught somewhere between amused and terrified.</p>
<p>When they reached the next dark walkway Link grabbed him again and kissed him, tasting his mouth, and Rhett could only kiss him back, meeting each swipe of his sweet tongue with a lick of his own.</p>
<p>“We should just stay here.” Link pressed his hips into Rhett’s. “No one will know.”</p>
<p>“We can’t,” Rhett whispered with a laugh, “someone will be comin’ along after us.”</p>
<p>Link kissed him one more time and pulled away with a dramatic sigh.</p>
<p>“C’mon,” Rhett said, taking his hand and leading him along. “I think we’re almost at the end.”</p>
<p>“We are?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I think so.”</p>
<p>“That was way too short.”</p>
<p>Rhett just shrugged and kept walking.</p>
<p>When they reached the next jump scare Link jolted but didn’t seem as hysterical as last time and he just pushed Rhett along, as if he was anxious to get to the next dark area so they could be alone again.</p>
<p>As they reached the last corner, Rhett could see light up ahead from the exit. Link grabbed him one more time, nearly knocking him into the makeshift wall.</p>
<p>Link was moving faster this time as if he was trying to expend all of his energy before they had to leave. His lips smacked over Rhett’s, kissed over his chin and slipped down to suck at his neck. It felt so good, the wet little sucks teasing at Rhett’s skin, and his brain vaguely wondered how he was going to explain the little hickeys to his parents.</p>
<p>Rhett pulled away a bit and dipped his head down, finding Link’s neck in the darkness, and he gave a soft suck to the tender skin there.</p>
<p>Link sighed into his ear, “ahh Rhett yeah..” and the use of his actual name nearly drove Rhett crazy.</p>
<p>He was rushing suddenly, trying to touch Link as much as possible before they had to head to the exit. His fingertips dug into Link’s hips, holding Link still as he licked and sucked over him, tasting his skin, slicking a wet mark over Link’s adam’s apple and across to the other side of his neck to give him another suck.</p>
<p>Link had a hold on Rhett’s head, hands smoothing over his buzz cut again, and Link let out a panting breath as he asked, “are you my boy yet?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Rhett panted back, sucking a dark mark into Link’s neck. “Yeah, I’m your boy.”</p>
<p>They stayed for only a moment longer before making their way to the exit.</p>
<p>Once they were outside Link ran over to the ticket stand and bought two more tickets for the haunted house so they could go through again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm lallyloo on tumblr. I mostly post Rhink stuff and I sometimes post fic.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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